Spider Vein Treatment Procedures Chattanooga, TN

What is the difference between spider veins and varicose veins?

Spider veins are similar to varicose veins, but they are smaller. The medical term for spider veins is telangiectasias. Spider veins can be found on the legs and face. They may look like short, fine lines.Spider veins are most common in the ankles, feet and thighs. Spider veins tend to appear red or blue and are closer to the surface of the skin than varicose veins.

Spider Veins: What causes them?

Although physicians don’t know exactly what causes spider veins, they do know some risk factors for developing them. Spider veins tend to run in families. If your mother or sister has them, you likely will too. Estrogen also may play a role (by relaxing the vein walls), which could explain why women are more likely to get spider veins than men. The upsurge of hormones at puberty, birth control pills, pregnancy and hormone replacement therapy all have been connected to the development of spider veins. Age also makes one ripe for the condition. And an injury, such as being hit in the leg with a softball, increases the chance of developing spider veins later in that same area — even if that injury occurs early in life.

How are spider veins treated?

The most common treatment option for spider veins is sclerotherapy. Slerotherapy is a technique that involves the injection of solution into the spider veins. This causes the spider veins to shrivel and gradually disappear. The solution that I use has been successfully used for vein injections for over 50 years, and has been found to be very safe. After it is injected into the spider vein, the solution (a modified detergent) does not harm other parts of the body. To minimize discomfort, very small “baby” needles are used to inject the solution into the veins.

How long does it take for spider vein treatment to work?

Small spider veinsrequire about 2 months to completely fade, whereas larger varicose veins may require 3 to 4 months to disappear. They may be hard and tender for a few weeks following treatment. Brown staining of the skin is sometimes seen where the veins were located, but this can fade within a few months. Located in Chattanooga, Advanced Surgical Concepts offers spider vein treatment!